The Theory of Relativity discusses the physical laws that govern space, time, matter, and motion. In the early 1900s, Albert Einstein tested that the star's light rays are deflected by the gravity of the sun which brought him to the conclusion of the new theory. Einstein's theory "overshadowed" Isaac Newton's theory from two centuries ago because Newton only explained of the motion of objects at low speeds, while Einstein described the motion of particles moving at almost the speed of light. Technologies such as GPS systems, air flights, and House Arrest Ankle bracelets impact on society due to the Theory of Relativity.
Having a GPS installed in your car has to do with the Theory of Relativity, and it impacts people's lives everyday. A GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System, is a radio navigation system that allows land, sea and airborne users to determine their exact location, velocity, and time 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions. According to the Global Positioning System Joint Project ( NAVSTAR), To attain this high level of accuracy, the "clock ticks" from the GPS satellites must be set to an exactness of 20-30 nanoseconds. To do this, the Special and General theories of Relativity must be put to use to achieve the desired time since the satellites are constantly moving in relation to people on the Earth(Real-World Relativity: The GPS Navigation System).Since a person on the ground sees the satellites in motion relative to them, Special Relativity predicts that we should see the clocks ticking more slowly. This relativity determines that the minuscule clocks on the satellites should fall behind clocks on the ground by about 7 microseconds per day because of the slower ticking rate due the relative motion.
Air Planes require constant use of the Theory of Relativity. This particular theory states that time decreases in speed when you are traveling, and the concept of time depends on your point of reference(Bill Haloukakos). So, if you are the one traveling fast, you will not feel that you are traveling fast because in reality, you are not. According to researchers from Princeton, if you are a passenger on an airplane, your speed will be very small compared to the speed of light and therefore the time difference will not be easy to notice by simply looking at the surrounding passengers.
House Arrest Ankle bracelets are impacted to the Theory of Relativity in several ways. The house arrest ankle bracelet is a monitor that allows the controller to observe the offender at any time during the day. This device can do many things such as track where the person is located, at what time, etc. It is similar to a GPS, but with the ankle bracelet, a person is tracking another individual, whereas a GPS in a vehicle is locating a specific location. This relates to the Theory of Relativity because both have to do with motion and energy(N. David Mermin).
As a result, technologies such as GPS systems, air flights, and House Arrest Ankle bracelets impact on society due to the Theory of Relativity. This theory is based on the physical laws that deal with matter, time, space, and motion. In the future, people will be able to invent new technologies based on the theory of relativity, just like how the GPS system was invented. Thanks to Einstein, the theory of relativity has evolved into one of the most important scientific advances in history.
Pictures
This is a picture of Albert Einstein, who invented the Theory of Relativity in the early 1900s.
Lawson, Robert. "Frontispiece. Einstein, Albert. 1920. Relativity: The Special and General Theory." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus and hundreds more. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://www.bartleby.com/173/104.html>.
This picure is a GPS System that can naviagte radio navigation system that allows land, sea and airborne users to determine their exact location, velocity, and time 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions.
One of Einstein's most famous accomplishments was the equation, E=mc2. "E" represents unit of energy, "m" represents unit of mass, and c2 is the speed of light squared.
"Relativity Images and Stock Photos. 72 Relativity photography and royalty free pictures available to download from over 100 stock photo companies.." Stock Photography - Search 4.5 Million Stock Photos, Stock Footage Video Clips, Royalty Free Images, and Illustrations. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/relativity.html>.
An artist's impression of Earth warping spacetime and GP-B. Image courtesy of the Marshall Space Flight Center.
This picture demonstrates the Theory of Relativity in means of that the Earth's mass warps local time and space all throughout.
Annotation:The author's point of view reveals the ideas and information discussed, very nicely and orderly. On this site, the author talks about how Einstein became famous and why, then he talks about the essence of gravity, then discusses collapsed stars, and then finally ending with a little summary of Relativity, and how it became the "biggest leap of the scientific imagination in history." The clarity is very well. I can easily understand what the author is talking about in each paragraph. The appropriateness is also good. None of the information is off topic, and everything is understandable.
Lawson, Robert. "Einstein, Albert. 1920. Relativity: The Special and General Theory." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus and hundreds more. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://www.bartleby.com/173/>.
Annotation: The author's point of view was very distinct. In other words, he "translated" Einstein's book, "Relativity: The Special and General Theory" into an easier way to read and understand the concepts better. He didn't change Einstein's point of view on Relativity, but rather kept both of their views equal. The author's clarity and appropriateness is very good. Although all the sections are pretty long, most of the sections are easy to understand. It would have probably helped me more though, if there wasn't so much information, and the author could have condensed some sections so that it wasn't so long.
Annotation: This particular web site helped me on how the theory of relativity was similar to the GPS system. It provided good information that was easy to read and understand. I know this is a reliable source because it shows when the site was last updated and also who the author is.
Theory of Relativity
Pictures
Lawson, Robert. "Frontispiece. Einstein, Albert. 1920. Relativity: The Special and General Theory." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus and hundreds more. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://www.bartleby.com/173/104.html>.
"Magellan Maestro 3100 - U.S. News Rankings and Reviews ." Best Car, Truck and SUV ratings, pictures, and reviews from U.S. News - U.S. News Rankings and Reviews . 27 Jan. 2009 <http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/GPS/Magellan/Maestro-3100/>.
"Relativity Images and Stock Photos. 72 Relativity photography and royalty free pictures available to download from over 100 stock photo companies.." Stock Photography - Search 4.5 Million Stock Photos, Stock Footage Video Clips, Royalty Free Images, and Illustrations. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/relativity.html>.
This picture demonstrates the Theory of Relativity in means of that the Earth's mass warps local time and space all throughout.
" Google Image Result for http://plus.maths.org/latestnews/sep-dec05/Einstein/GPB1.jpg." Google Image Search. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://plus.maths.org/latestnews/sep-dec05/Einstein/GPB1.jpg
Bibliographies and Citations
Lightman, Alan. "NOVA | Einstein's Big Idea | Relativity (Lightman Essay) | PBS." PBS. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/relativity/>.
Annotation:The author's point of view reveals the ideas and information discussed, very nicely and orderly. On this site, the author talks about how Einstein became famous and why, then he talks about the essence of gravity, then discusses collapsed stars, and then finally ending with a little summary of Relativity, and how it became the "biggest leap of the scientific imagination in history." The clarity is very well. I can easily understand what the author is talking about in each paragraph. The appropriateness is also good. None of the information is off topic, and everything is understandable.
Lawson, Robert. "Einstein, Albert. 1920. Relativity: The Special and General Theory." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus and hundreds more. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://www.bartleby.com/173/>.
Annotation: The author's point of view was very distinct. In other words, he "translated" Einstein's book, "Relativity: The Special and General Theory" into an easier way to read and understand the concepts better. He didn't change Einstein's point of view on Relativity, but rather kept both of their views equal. The author's clarity and appropriateness is very good. Although all the sections are pretty long, most of the sections are easy to understand. It would have probably helped me more though, if there wasn't so much information, and the author could have condensed some sections so that it wasn't so long.
Pogge, Richard. "GPS and Relativity." The Ohio State University Department of Astronomy. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast162/Unit5/gps.html>.
Annotation: This particular web site helped me on how the theory of relativity was similar to the GPS system. It provided good information that was easy to read and understand. I know this is a reliable source because it shows when the site was last updated and also who the author is.